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Child could have caused disruption on Downtown Line: SBS Transit

A child resting his hands on the cover of the detrainment switch on a Downtown Line train. The switch, which would lower a ramp for emergency evacuation, could have been activated by the movement of the cover, causing power to be cut as a safety precaution.

SINGAPORE - Downtown Line operator SBS Transit yesterday gave more details of how a child passenger could have activated a detrainment switch that triggered a power cut which disrupted the newly opened line on Friday.

Friday's service disruption lasted for more than an hour from about 9pm. At the time, Land Transport Authority (LTA) said that services had been disrupted by a power fault.

Closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage showed a little girl may have moved the cover which holds the detrainment door switch, said a spokesperson from SBS Transit. The movement triggered the switch, causing power to be cut off.

SBS Transit did not share the CCTV footage, reported The Straits Times.

The Downtown Line had also experienced a service delay last Sunday on its first day of operations. A train fault caused a 15-minute disruption from 12.06pm to 12.14pm.